Equipping future talent
We establish bold initiatives to equip the next generation and widen the pipeline to attract talent who are ready to build the future of sport.
Talent can be found everywhere; opportunity cannot. So, NIKE is investing in communities and academic institutions around the globe to provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds and build a robust talent pipeline. We also partner with a wide range of professional organisations to attract professionals from all sectors to NIKE.
NIKE's robust internship programme provides meaningful, hands-on experiences across NIKE's Technology, Product Design, Supply Chain, Footwear Manufacturing, Finance, Strategy and Marketing divisions. In FY24, we saw a 300% increase in internship participation across sectors such as Engineering, Planning, Transportation and Supply Chain.
Our FY24 US-based intern class was made up of undergraduate and graduate students from 100 different universities. In EMEA, 134 interns representing 45 nationalities gained hands-on experience. We also expanded the internship programme to India, and significantly increased internship programme participation in our North America Distribution Centres, with a central focus on our North American Logistics Centre (NALC) in Memphis, Tennessee.
We continue investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) through scholarships and academic partnerships by FY25. Partnership with these institutions helps us to attract and hire top talent from around the nation and is one of the many ways we partner directly with universities.
The EMEA Black Employee Network & Friends (BEN) proudly partners with Amsterdam-based Patta Academy to develop educational resources for underprivileged students aged 18 to 25. In FY24, a masterclass provided insights into bridging the gap between their studies and the professional world and enabled students to gain a deep understanding of the merchandising field.
NIKE's partnership with Harlem's Fashion Row, a platform that bridges the gap between multicultural designers and the global fashion industry, enables us to tap into a network of multicultural designers and allows new perspectives to contribute to product innovation. In FY24, Nike hosted the 7th Annual Designer Retreat, hosting a group of 75 designers from across the US who participated in the Nike Design Combine, a design challenge focused on strategic approaches to business challenges.
In FY22, Converse launched a six-month apprenticeship focused on advanced learning and development education, networking and hands-on experience in global design and product creation. The highly competitive programme draws applications from around the nation and each cohort represents a wide variety of communities. It is supported by a team of 20 Converse designers, managers and peers.
The Serena Williams Design Crew (SWDC), a highly competitive six-month apprenticeship programme, launched in FY22 with the aim to broaden and diversify the talent pipeline within the design industry. Each SWDC cohort follows a structured design curriculum spanning brand creative, footwear, apparel, accessories, colour, materials, graphics and 3D. In FY24, five out of the nine SWDC fellows were hired to be full-time designers at NIKE.
To help further establish NIKE as an employer of choice for all and recruit the best talent from all sectors, NIKE sponsored the tenth annual Lesbians Who Tech & Allies Summit, held in San Francisco's historic Castro district. Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, the largest LGBTQ+ professional community in the world, centres on LGBTQ+ women, women of colour and non-binary leaders.
One of the many ways NIKE shows up in the community is by providing a platform for designers from different spheres to be recognised, influenced and celebrated. Through our partnership with BFF, we have formed a collective of industry professionals and supporters that establish new industry goals and develop collaborations that advance talent at all levels. National and regional BFF events, activations and programmes are cultivating creatives—from CEOs to entrepreneurs—to influence the footwear industry and overall culture.